Ink
by First Officer Winters
Summary: Yaoi/tattoos. After a successful hunt the boys of Camelot go for a swim. Merlin sits on the sides until the others convince him to enter the waters. However Merlin's body is very different from what they expected.


Officer Winters: Another idea that popped into my head one day. I love this idea, Merlin's body is well hidden in his clothes, I can just see it! Not to mention thinking about Colin Morgan…nom a nom nom!

Warning: Yaoi suggestings. Nude men and extensive tattoos.

I do not own Merlin.

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><p>It had been a successful hunt but they were still a two days ride from the castle of Camelot. The knights, King, and manservant camped near a small clear lake.<p>

It was also a very hot day and the men decided to take a dip. Merlin the manservant sat on the ground fully clothed while the rest had stripped and were splashing around in the water.

"MERLIN! Come on and join us!" Gwaine shouted but Merlin simply smiled at them and shook his head.

"I think I'll stay dry thanks."

"You afraid we're going to laugh at your scrawny form?" Arthur teased, hoping to get a reaction but only got an amused grin.

"That's exactly it." He agreed but the men were now curious.

"Oh come on Merlin, we wont laugh!"

"Yeah get your pale ass in here!"

"No thanks."

Arthur's eyebrow twitched up as he smirked. "What have you got to hide?"

"Hide? No, I'm simply sparing your eyes."

"Come on Merlin, you've got to be boiling!"

"I'm fine, this heat is nothing and there's a nice breeze."

"Merlin…can you not swim?" Percival asked only for Merlin to bark in laughter.

"No, I can swim very well."

"Prove it!" Arthur blurted out, his curiosity rising with each refusal. Merlin sighed like a patronizing parent making Arthur twitch in irritation.

"Very well." The men cheered as he stood and began to kick off his shoes and pulled his jacket off.

The neckerchief loosened and to their shock, black ink reached up to peak over the loose collar of the shirt. The shirt was then lifted as well and their jaws dropped.

Merlin was not scrawny. Merlin was actually rather muscled but his form being so tall and long and usually covered in baggy clothes made him look scrawny. He was lean and his stomach was firm with pronounced muscles. If that alone wasn't shocking enough the ink was.

His entire upper body was covered in what looked to be intricate lettering, tribal markings, and pentagrams. They wrapped around his body and disappeared into waistline of his pants that were too dropped. The tattoos continued down his waist and powerful legs. Even his penis was tattooed with small intricate designs.

Merlin was a walking piece of art.

"Holy shit Merlin…didn't those hurt?" Gwaine asked. He was the only knight who had a tattoo but it was small and on his forearm. He had said it hurt like a bitch, otherwise he'd get more.

Merlin smiled. "Of course they did."

"Why do you have so many?" Leon asked as the manservant waded into the water.

"I liked them, all of them have a meaning and a purpose." Merlin said before ducking under the water and pulling back up and wiping his bangs from his eyes. As his hands continued back, long black strands followed.

"Wait a minute you have long hair?" Gwaine spluttered.

Merlin blinked before looking at them strange. "You all must have noticed….how did you not know? These tattoos shouldn't be that much of a shock they're kind of noticeable on my wrists…and I've always had long hair, I just tuck it into my shirt to get out of the way. I only thought you didn't know about the amount of tattoos I have." Merlin smirked and shook his head like a dog and the hair flipped around with him and then settled to move with the current of the water. Now that it was hanging less limply, they noticed his hair was actually short on one side but longer everywhere else and very long in the back. It made his ears look less goofy and more fae like.

Indeed his wrists had spiraling lettering circling them and reached up almost over the back of his hands.

"How did you not notice them Arthur?"

"I-I don't watch his hands-why am I being attacked!" Arthur mumbled.

"I like it." Percival said and Merlin gave him a brilliant smile making the other knights glare at the big man jealously.

"Thank you-Gwaine what are you doing?" Gwaine had moved behind Merlin and was running his hands down his back. Merlin wasn't pulling away but he twisted his neck to look at his friend.

"They're real! They're everywhere they even go down your bottom!" The Men blushed but Merlin raised an eyebrow as Gwaine realized how intimately he was touching his friend and leapt away, making the water slosh around.

"What language is this?" Leon asked trying to get over his embarrassment. Merlin looked down and shrugged.

"Several of them are different languages; Egyptian, sanskrit, cuneiform, latin, Greek, and some others."

"Why so many different ones?"

"Each language can be translated but something always gets lost in the change and then it wouldn't be what it was meant for." The men didn't quite understand but they didn't press. "Now I believe I have a challenge to win?" He asked with a smirk as he faced his king.

Arthur flushed but nodded. He was rather confident in his swimming but seeing the powerful body his manservant was…hiding, he wasn't so confident.

They lowered their bodies to the surface of the water as Gwaine rushed to a further distance to be their destination.

"AND GO!" He hollered and the two men took off.

Arthur pumped his arms and kicked his legs but his lungs were burning and he could see Merlin gaining speed.

Merlin touched Gwaine's hand and waited the five seconds for Arthur to do the same. Arthur shook the water from his hair and eyes and grumbled, his face and neck a brilliant red shade.

The knights all cheered and waded over.

"I don't think you came up for air once Merlin!"

"I didn't. It slows me down when I sprint in the water."

"If you're so athletic, why are you such a klutz and lazy?" Arthur grumbled.

"I am a lazy person and my shoes are too big for me."

Arthur blinked. "Then get better shoes."

"They are my better shoes, they cost me a months salary. I would stuff the toes to make them fit better but that would require me to sacrifice my clothing and I don't have any to spare." He said…as if it were so simple as that.

Gwaine, Percivil, Lancelot, and Elyan nodded, knowing how it was to be without proper funds to get proper clothing. Leon and Arthur glanced at each other, frowns marring their handsome faces; being nobles they had never had that issue.

"Merlin, I give you a good enough salary to buy proper clothing, what do you do spend it all at the tavern? After all those times with Gwaine, I'm sure you must have spent it all I guess." Arthur felt irritated by his manservant, sacrificing his well being for mead.

"What are you talking about?" Gwaine asked as Merlin winced. "I can almost never get Merlin to come with me to the tavern let alone voluntarily. " Arthur narrowed his eyes before turning his scathing glance at Merlin who had pursed his lips and looked away.

"Merrrrrlin?" Arthur growled. All of them had forgotten they were naked but it seems that they didn't care.

"Gaius is the worst at coming up with excuses." He mumbled.

"Excuses?"

Merlin winced again before sighing. "Look…Arthur…" He paused his expression uncomfortable that turned into misery. "I…" He bit his lip before realizing he was surrounded by naked men. "Should we get dressed?" He tried changing the subject.

"Will you ever tell me where you actually were?" Arthur asked quietly. Merlin sucked in a sharp breath.

"Of course! I just-…" He paused again only to try speaking but Arthur held up a hand.

"As long as you tell me…eventually, I think we can now just enjoy the water?" Merlin's smile was so big that Arthur felt a sense of accomplishment.

Later that night as they were settling down Leon remembered something. "Merlin you never did tell us what you actually use your salary on. Was it on your tattoos?"

Merlin blinked and smiled. "Some of it yes, for the ink mainly as I did many of mine myself, the ones on my back and below my waist were done by a friend."

"You had some down…well what kind of friend does that?" Arthur asked, his face flushing at the memory of looking closely at his manservants private parts.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "The kind of friend who's already seen it plenty of times before?" He grinned.

Gwaine choked on his water. "What? Who? I know almost all the lasses in the city, none of them have that talent!" He flushed. "The tattoo talent I mean!"

Merlin's grin turned into a smirk. "I didn't say it was a lass." He said.

The men were silent for a second before Gwaine guffawed.

"Oh a man, Merlin-no wonder!" He laughed and slapped his friend on the back.

Merlin grinned, not realizing that Arthur had yet to say anything. The king was too focused on making sure that the others didn't see how much Merlin's body affected him.

Perhaps when Merlin told him where he went on his days off…perhaps he'd tell his servant how he felt.

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><p>Officer Winters: Awwww, poor Arthur!<p>

Merlin's probably a mary sue/stu? but hey no shame in those if one's not making money! (even then, mary sues are fun to write)


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